By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- The much-publicized running back competition between Travis Henry and Willis McGahee will take center stage Saturday night, when Buffalo travels to Indianapolis for an NFL preseason matchup. Henry, who has led the Bills in rushing for each of the past three seasons, has had his starting status threatened by the play of McGahee, a first-round draft pick in 2003 who sat out all of last season with a knee injury. Both players have been vocal in their desire to be the No. 1 back, making the job of first-year head coach Mike Mularkey immediately difficult. With Henry doubtful for the Colts game with sore ribs, McGahee is likely to see all of the first-team reps on Saturday. The Bills were 16-15 losers in their most recent outing, against Tennessee last Saturday, while the Colts dropped a 31-7 decision to the Jets the same night.

Neither Henry nor McGahee found a wealth of running room against the Titans last week, with the incumbent rushing seven times for 27 yards and the rookie tallying 11 carries for 28 yards. McGahee did help his case by scoring a three-yard touchdown, however. Much of Buffalo's offensive damage was done by quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who completed 7 of 10 passes for 67 yards while working with the first-team offense. The Bills were dealt a blow in practice this week when backup quarterback and first-round draft pick J.P. Losman was lost for an indefinite period with a broken fibula in his left leg. Losman had played well in the preseason, completing 4 of 6 passes for 23 yards and rushing for a team-high 43 yards against the Titans. In addition to Henry, cornerback Terrence McGee (leg) is also listed as doubtful for the Colts game.

Indianapolis' renowned offensive unit had trouble getting on track against the Jets, with Peyton Manning's three-yard scoring pass to Bryan Fletcher in the second quarter accounting for the team's only points. Manning did leave the contest with decent numbers (6-10, 85 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), as did starting running back Edgerrin James (12 carries, 62 yards). Manning should get more playing time in the team's third preseason tune-up, before yielding to backups Cory Sauter (6-10 passing, 46 yards against the Jets) and Jim Sorgi (3-8, 28 yards). Starting safety Idrees Bashir (ribs) is the most notable Colts player expected to be out on Saturday, and wide receivers Brandon Stokley (groin) and Reggie Wayne (heel), punter Hunter Smith (groin) and cornerback Joseph Jefferson (knee) are all listed as questionable.

Indianapolis has won both preseason meetings with Buffalo all-time, scoring a 19-7 victory in the most recent matchup, prior to the 2002 season. The one- time AFC East rivals have met 64 times during the regular season, with the Bills holding a 34-29-1 edge. The Colts narrowed the advantage with a 17-14 win last season, and have won six straight in the series overall.